Among those shown the door are Sanjay Bakshi, the general secretary of the All India Youth Trinamool Congress, and Swapan Burman, a Trinamool leader in central Kolkata. Party sources said several complaints about the two leaders had been brought to the notice of the Trinamool leadership. “Burrabazar is a business area and we have received complaints of extortion by Bakshi and his links with criminals-turned-promoters in the area,” a senior Trinamool leader said.

Sources said Burman and Bakshi ran their activities in central Kolkata, causing a divide among party workers.

Bakshi was arrested on rape charges in 2007. He was also accused of beating up a teacher and a traffic constable.

Recently, Banerjee had expelled three of her party leaders, including a former legislator and a sitting councillor, in connection with the Vedic Village land controversy in September this year.

In November this year, Arabul Islam, the controversial Trinamool MLA from Bhangor whose brother is on the run following an arrest warrant for his alleged role in the Vedic Village land grab case, was removed from the post of president of Bhangor II block committee by his party on charges of indiscipline.

Didi smells something ‘fishy’ in power failure at Eden
The 21-minute power failure at Eden Gardens that proved a spoilsport for thousands of cricket connoisseurs who went there to watch the Indo-Sri Lanka ODI, took a political turn as Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said the power failure at Eden was ‘something fishy’.